New REMs? I'd gladly accept new REMs personally, if they were interesting at least. Bipedal combat REMs like the Dakini, Garuda and Unidrons sound like a neat idea. Improved Chaiyi AVA would be nice too.
I have a feeling it'll be our version of the Daiyokai, but I would like to see a light karakuri style automata as our cheerleaders. Unfortunately my excitement for the Invincible Army has dropped to pretty much zero. This could easily have been avoided, but oh well. I think 5 new profiles are going to struggle to fill the gaps, and I'm not that interested in relying on Aleph units. (Un)Luckily I'm still hooked on this game and have (as I knew I would) started picking up models to play ISS.
Seriously, niche terrain? REMs should be viable usually: slightly more difficult to use but definitely viable.
We're talking order cheerleaders with very poor long range weapons and even worse ability to dodge. :) When 10+ of your units are S3 it gets... difficult... to hide. No roof is safe, few buildings can hide more than two, etc. Add in a couple of mandatory visor S4 REMs and you're in trouble.
Yeah, but what about getting S2 REMs? Something like an equivalent to Dakinis and Unidrons, for example?
Again, REMs are ill suited to form the basic troops of a sectorial, in my opinion. The poor dodge and the inability to prone makes them poor choices for troops that I'd rather have not participate in ranged battle with my opponent's primary attack pieces. If IA got an S2 REM, it'd probably be high-grade REM like Karakuri. For order fuel I'd expect what's essentially a Chaiyi or Weibing stripped down. More likely the Weibing, with the basic profile being roughly 10 or 11 points (and that's a Weibing statline with only the combi rifle and G:RP left) - but you'd have to have something cheap and human to fill out with to reduce your footprint. S2 REM just doesn't make much thematic sense to Yu Jing, IMO, unless it's a prestige project.
Yeah, I can't see Yu Jing wasting time on a S2 REM that isn't a bragging-right project like the Karakuri or Su Jian. Basic Troop like Dakini or Unidron is an unlikely concept. Though I did recently come across an idea for a military organization that gave each trooper around 6 smaller supporting dones. They'd be around S1 in Infinity terms, but armed.
That thar sounds like Pan-O Heresy! Call the Cino Inquisition! In all seriousness, it doesn't really fit the Yu Jing schtick IMO. I'd be excited if the Yu Jing REM line got redefined completely so that instead of generic REMs, we'd have two or three classes of REMs that were armed and equipped more similar to a normal Unit. Now, I'm only really taking this idea and running with it because I think it's fun. Weibing, Chaiyi, Son-Bae -> Yaokong Remote (common equipment: Mimetism*, G: RP) - Each component REM would be represented as individually armed profiles instead of separate units. - AVA 4 in vanilla, 6 in sectorials >Combi Rifle, Forward Observer, Sensor (and thus Sat-lock). 14 pts. >Combi Rifle, Repeater, Deployable Repeater. 14 pts. No LT profile, sorry. >Combi Rifle, Minelayer, AP Mines. 14 pts. >Boarding Shotgun, Sniffer, Flash Pulse. 11 pts. ** >Smart Missile Launcher. 19 pts, 1,5 SWC. >Spitfire. 17 pts, 1 SWC. Husong -> Husong Remote - A smaller line of Total Reaction remotes with options for a bit more weapon options. - AVA 2, same as for vanilla, for IA. >Heavy Machine Gun. 25 pts, 1 SWC >2 Light (Normal, Stun) Grenade Launchers, Assault Pistol. 20 pts.*** >Multi Sniper Rifle. 25 pts, 1,5 SWC. Rui Shi, Lu duan -> Yaoxie Remote - For consistency's sake more than actual effect. Here's a small question, though, but the Lu Duan doesn't seem popular, how would this change if both of these got normalised to Rui Shi equipment and these sub profiles: > Spitfire. 20 pts, 1 SWC > MK12 + Heavy Flame Thrower, Holoprojector 2. 24 pts. > MULTI Rifle, Sensor. 18 pts. JSA Remotes untouched. They're using the old models. * If we're using these for a source of low-cost troops, then Mimetism is absolutely necessary. Also, I'm totally using the price tag for CA's REMs when it comes to Mimetism because that's the only place S3 REMs have Mimetism and it's different from all S2 units' cost on Mimetism. ** While losing that 8 point source of an order is not ideal, having it perfectly replicated as this slower troop would have the unfortunate consequence of making it far, far, too cheap and would mandate a few extra equipment just to bump points up. *** Initially I had this one down as just a Combi, then thought "grenade launcher might be interesting to threaten fireteams". But it got expensive and a bit weird. Then I thought that smoke- no stun grenades would be very ISS. Assault Pistol is only there because frankly it's one of the least offensive close-range non-template weapons I could think of. Heavy Pistol might also work.
Alistair Young's Eldraeverse, actually. A basic Light Legionnaire wears powered armor (powered to support it's own weight, not really to make the wearer stronger), is armed with a coilgun with built-in underbarrel GL, a plasma flamer, and a target designator; and is escorted by roughly 6 drones of 4 different types, informally called 'wolves', 'serpents', 'spiders', and 'raptors' (as in hawks). The 'spiders' may be the size of an Infinity REM, the others are explicitly small/light. The Heavy Legionnaire is in the equivalent of an Infinity TAG, armed with a coilgun, plasma flamer, a target designator for ortillery and aerospace support weapons, and, if I'm reading this correctly, a laser and a kinetic CIWS on each shoulder (there might be two on each shoulder), and a TAG-scale combat knife. Plus nanite swarms.
I recommend 'Crisis in Zefra' for REM warfare. Not technically Sci Fi: it's futurist writing for the Canadian military. http://www.kschroeder.com/foresight-consulting/crisis-in-zefra My point was more I think a link of S1 REMs with a controller is much more Tunguska's schtick. It's what I actually expect Tactical Puppets to be.
Leaving REMs behind. So we lost nearly all of our Close Combat hegemony and what we are left with is barely good enough to challenge a Knight and the images we've seen doesn't suggest IA nor Yu Jing going in the close combat direction, but - a. We know JSA isn't getting an Airborne trooper b. There is no Close Combat AD troopers (afaik) ...and that's one way to guarantee that the Shooting Star will be completely and utterly different from Tigers. Shang-Ji stat-line with CC22-ish, AD4, Martial Arts 2, basic weapons include Stun Grenades, MULTI Rifle, DA CCW. Profile options on the theme of disabling - I can see E/M Grenades, Eclipse Grenades or E/Marat as options. Guesstimate just over 50 points. How does that sound (besides like a pipe dream)?
Ekdromoi is kind of CC oriented. Nevertheless I like The idea of superior CC airborne heavy infantry.
I asked for that in a true "posthuman" sectorial... sadly, it wasn't more than a rough sketch made in the forum. Yuan Yuan are quite good at CC... sure, they don't have Martial Arts, but have a high skill and high damage value... And yeah, the Ekdromoi is quite the CC AD trooper machine.
I can see it. Would probably be better than just a 2W Tiger or a Zuyong with AD. AD is what, 9 points or so? Mimetism is another 3? Let's go big, for one of the biggest CC beatsticks in the game. Domaru statline plus AD and Mimetism. Fluffwise, the Berserk isn't so much a loss of control as a deliberate choice for troops that are dropped into zones too hot/dangerous for Tigers, where everything in the zone needs to be killed ASAP. That would put the Boarding Shotgun version at 46 points. Combirifle at 47 points, Multirifle and Spitfire at 51 points.
